The Writer of Ariana Grande’s ‘Santa Tell Me’ Said It’s 1 of the Best Christmas Songs Ever
After Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” came out in 1994, the canon of Christmas music remained closed for the next 20 years. In 2014, Ariana Grande released “Santa Tell Me,” her first Christmas single. The song’s writers had a lot of faith in the tune. Here’s a look at whether or not that faith was justified.
Ariana Grande’s ‘Santa Tell Me’ connects to ‘Love Me like You Do’ by Ellie Goulding
Three people wrote “Santa Tell Me”: Grande, Savan Kotecha, and Ilya Salmanzadeh.The latter two are professional songwriters known for penning hits like Sam Smith’s “How Do You Sleep?” and “Love Me like You Do” by Ellie Goulding. Judging by their big tunes, they don’t necessarily seem like the sort of songwriters poised to write a massive Christmas hit. However, Grande’s career has been nothing if not full of surprises.
During a 2022 interview with Songwriting, Kotecha discussed writing the track. “It took a few days to write it and get it right, but during that time — especially with Ariana — we were on fire,” he said. “So it was one of those, ‘It would be great if Ariana had a Christmas song, right?’ And everyone was like, ‘Yeah!’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, we should do a Christmas song.’
“Then everyone was on board,” he added. “There you go. That was it. There were no roadblocks at the time, really. And it’s amazing how it’s just lasted. Ilya always said it as well. He was like, ‘This is going to be one of the best modern Christmas songs ever, I bet you.'” Considering the Wicked star’s popularity, a Christmas song by her had the potential to become a cross-generational hit.
Ariana Grande made her co-writers amazing Christmas gifts
Kotecha said the “Break Free” singer gave him a “Santa Tell Me” memento. “I remember Ari made ‘Santa Tell Me’ onesies for us, which I still wear at Christmas,” he said. “It’s just wonderful.” Those onesies could become major collector’s items one day!
Kotecha discussed his relationship with the holiday. “I’m a huge Christmas guy,” he said. “In my place here in Sweden, we do a lot. We go crazy inside and outside, I build a whole Santa’s workshop and kids come from the neighborhood, and it’s a whole thing.”
‘Santa Tell Me’ almost reached the top 10
“Santa Tell Me” was released in 2014. It did not reach its peak of No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 until 2024. That would be amazing, except for the fact that Christmas tunes often rechart years or decades after their initial release. So far, “Santa Tell Me” has spent 26 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune will likely be with us for decades to come.
“Santa Tell Me” was part of the EP Christmas Kisses. That record did not reach the Billboard 200. Another version of the song appeared on the record Christmas & Chill. That EP peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for three weeks.
“Santa Tell Me” might not be as good as “All I Want for Christmas Is You” or other Christmas songs — but it seems like it’ll be around for the foreseeable future.
